System to remove air from a bag

ABSTRACT

This patent discloses a system to remove air from a bag. The bag may include a first sidewall and a second sidewall attached to the first sidewall at a first side, a second side, and a bottom. The first sidewall and the second sidewall may meet to form an opening and to form an interior. A valve may be positioned in the interior of the first sidewall and the second sidewall to form in the interior a first compartment having air and a second compartment. The valve may control an exchange of air between the first chamber and the second chamber. A foam sponge may be positioned in the second compartment. The foam sponge may draw air from the first chamber into the second chamber when the valve is open and the foam expands.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Endeavor

The information disclosed in this patent relates to removing gases suchas air from a container. More particularly, the invention relates toremoving air from a plastic bag food compartment to place the food undera vacuum for storage.

2. Background Information

Commercial food vacuum packing machines have been around since the1940s. In 1984, the Tilia Corporation came out with the first home-stylevacuum packer known as a nozzle or snorkel style to compete with thecommercial chamber style machines. In 1990, designers came out with achannel style food vacuum packing machine to overcome some of theproblems of the nozzle style. For the channel style, an open end of astorage bag made with specially designed plastic is laid into thechannel, ensuring that a vacuum tube is positioned within the bag'sopening. A top portion of channel style machine is brought down to closethe channel on the bag opening. An electric pump draws air from the bagto create a vacuum and a heating element seals the bag.

A problem with the nozzle or snorkel style of food vacuum sealer is thatpeople leave food and debris in the pump and nozzle and generally do notclean their machines. In addition, a draw back of the channel stylemachine is it over heats very fast. As a result of the over heating, themachine is inconsistent with the amount of air drawn from the bag.

In general, vacuum packers or vacuum sealers have an electricallypowered pump that pulls or moves air from the bag and, in the case ofchannel style machines, have a transformer that runs a heat-sealing barto seal the bag. The minimum requirements for such machines to beconsidered a quality machine are ominous. They must have a large,powerful pump that pulls at least a 23 inches of mercury (hg) vacuum,they must have a solid heat bar of steel or aluminum for wet sealing,and they must have large transformers to allow enough electrical currentto operate the heat bar to seal a wet bag at least 30 to 60 times in arow. More often than not, these requirements are prohibitively expensiveand many vacuum sealers manufacturers take short cuts by producingcheaper machines that do not meet these requirements.

The home food storage industry is a billion dollar industry. The problemwith the home-style vacuum sealer is that the whole industry is built onseveral faulty assumptions. First and foremost is that consumers needvacuum sealing devices that compete with commercial chamber stylemachines. People generally do not store the bulk of their food formonths and years and thus do not need a 23+ hg vacuum within theirstorage bags. Selling consumers such an expensive, powerful machine tomeet way beyond their needs is overkill and a waste of the consumer'smoney.

The second assumption is that consumers do not mind being required topurchase expensive bags made of plastic “specially formulated” for theirparticular machine. Consumers do resent being held captive to aparticular brand by the requirement to purchase a particular bag fortheir machine. The third assumption is that consumers do not minddedicating a disproportionate amount of their free time to storing theirfood for later consumption. Like other household chores, consumers wantto spend as little time as possible storing their food.

Because of these and other problems, many consumers stop using theirhome-style vacuum sealer and store them in the garage next to their fooddehydrator, food processor, and juicer. None the less, these consumersand those presently using their food sealers have demonstrated a desireto vacuum seal their food. There are many other consumers sitting on thesidelines who desire vacuum sealing for their food. All of theseconsumers are just waiting someone to come out with the right productthat meets their needs.

Some inventors recognize the problem and have attempted solutions. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,582 (the '582 device) discloses a standardsandwich bag modified to include a manual pump positioned near the bagopening between two seals. As the consumer repeatedly squeezes the pump,air may be drawn from the storage compartment of the bag.

The '582 device is headed in the right direction. It is relativelyinexpensive, quick and easy to use, and portable. However, a problemwith the '582 device is that the amount of air drawn from the bagdepends on the strength of the person squeezing the pump. Some peoplemay not have the finger strength to draw out any air and others may belimited in what they can do. Thus, the amount of air drawn out isinconsistent from one consumer to the next. Another problem is that theamount of air drawn out is limited by the pump it self. A manual pumpmolded out of the same plastic as the bag cannot draw out enough air toform a decent vacuum and its ability to draw out air will decrease overtime as the manual pump ages.

Inexpensive, quick and easy to use, portable, reusable, and consistentlydraws a vacuum over the life of the bag sufficient to meet the shorttime food storage needs of a consumer. These are what vacuum foodstorage consumer desire. A good portion of the billion-dollar foodstorage industry is there for the company who can best meet these need.Thus, what is needed is an apparatus and method to satisfy these andother needs.

SUMMARY

The food storage bag disclosed in this patent meets the needs of thevacuum food storage consumer. Essentially made of an assembly of a foamsponge with standard plastic in standard food storage sizes, thedisclosed food storage bag is inexpensive, quick and easy to use, and isportable—you can take and use it anywhere. Valves enhance thereusability of the bag. Most importantly, the foam sponge used to drawair from the bag storage compartment may be designed to consistentlydraw a vacuum over the life of the bag sufficient to meet the foodstorage needs of a consumer.

In particular, this patent discloses a system to remove air from a bag.The bag may include a first sidewall and a second sidewall attached tothe first sidewall at a first side, a second side, and a bottom. Thefirst sidewall and the second sidewall may meet to form an opening andto form an interior. A valve may be positioned in the interior of thefirst sidewall and the second sidewall to form in the interior a firstcompartment having air and a second compartment. The valve may controlan exchange of air between the first chamber and the second chamber. Afoam sponge may be positioned in the second compartment. The foam spongemay draw air from the first chamber into the second chamber when thevalve is open and the foam expands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a storage bag 100;

FIG. 2 is a side view of bag 100 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan section view of a pop valve 700 in a bag 702;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of air flow path 704;

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of one way valve 706 in relation to air flowpath 704;

FIG. 6A is a side view of snap valve 708 illustrating a press point 720;

FIG. 6B is a side view of snap valve 708 after press point 720 has beenpressed;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a bag 300;

FIG. 8 is a side view of bag 300 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of bag 500; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view of bag 600.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bag 100. FIG. 2 is a side view of bag 100 ofFIG. 1. Preferably, bag 100 may be a household food bag, such as astorage bag, freezer bag, sandwich bag, or snack bag and may beadvertised as such.

Bag 100 may include a first sidewall 102 and a second sidewall 104 (FIG.2) connected to first sidewall 102 at particular locations. Firstsidewall 102 and second sidewall 104 may be largely transparent, similarto other household food bag. An overall plan view shape of bag 100 maybe defined by a bottom 106, a first side 108, a second side 110, and abag opening 112. Bottom 106, first side 108, and second side 110 eachmay be formed by heat sealing two sidewall materials residing parallelto each other and then cutting to define positions of bottom 106, firstside 108, and second side 110.

Below bag opening 112 may be a recloseable zipper seal 114. Zipper sealsmay be typical in the household food bag industry. However, bag 100 neednot include a seal below bag opening 112.

Between zipper seal 114 and bottom 106, bag 100 may be divided into afirst chamber 116, a second chamber 118, and a valve 120 between firstchamber 116 and second chamber 118. First chamber 116 may be thought ofas a storage compartment and second chamber 118 may be though of as alower compartment 118. Valve 120 may control an exchange of air betweenfirst chamber 116 and second chamber 118. When closed, valve 120 mayprevent an exchange of pressure and fluid such as air between firstchamber 116 and second chamber 118. Moreover, when open, valve 120 mayallow an exchange of pressure and fluid such as air between firstchamber 116 and second chamber 118.

Within second chamber 118 may be a compressible material 122.Compressible material 122 may be any material that may be compressedunder pressure and substantially may return to its original shape orposition after removal of that pressure. A foam sponge is a typicalhousehold item familiar to most consumers that may return to itsoriginal shape after being compressed and thus may be a good choice forcompressible material 122. As an elastic device that may return to itsshape or position when pushed or pulled or pressed, a spring may beutilized as compressible material 122 as well, whether the spring may bemade of plastic, metal, or some other material.

Food items such as marshmallows may include a compressible material thatmay return towards their original shape after being compressed and maybe utilized as compressible material 122 in certain circumstance.Although a marshmallow appears to be solid it actually may be filledwith many pockets. These pockets may be filled with air (much like asponge) and may cause the marshmallow to return towards its originalshape after being compressed. In general, other articles and/ormaterials may be utilized as a means to expand second chamber 118, wherethat means may be internal to second chamber 118.

Desirable characteristics of compressible material 122 include theability of compressible material 122 to substantially or completelyevacuate first chamber 116, cost, its ability to return to its originalshape over multiple uses, and additional uses such as absorption evenafter bag 100 is discarded. Compressible material 122 may be made fromhydrophilic polyester, polyether foams, and a combination of hydrophilicpolyester and polyether foams.

In this embodiment, valve 120 may include a pop valve 124 positionedbetween a first heat seal 126 and a second heat seal 128. First heatseal 126, pop valve 124, and second heat seal 128 may extend from firstside 108 to second side 110 to control the flow of fluid and thuspressure between first chamber 116 and second chamber 118. Secondchamber 118 further may be defined by a second chamber first sidewall130 and a second chamber second sidewall 132.

During manufacturing, valve 120 may be closed and compressible material122 may be assembled in second chamber 118 in a compressed state topress outward against second chamber first sidewall 130 and secondchamber second sidewall 132. A reasonable amount of air also may bedrawn from second chamber 118 so that a pressure within second chamber118 may be less than the adjacent pressure outside of second chamber118.

The pressure outside of second chamber 118 typically may be about onekilogram per square centimeter (14.7 pounds per square inch). However,bag 100 may be used in situations where the pressure outside of secondchamber 118 may be other than that provided by earth's atmosphere. Forexample, bag 100 may be place in another bag having its own interiorpressure.

In operation, food or other material may be paced in first chamber 116and zipper seal 114 may be closed to create a substantially air tightfirst chamber 116. The pressure in first chamber 116 may be at thepressure surrounding first chamber 116. Pop valve 124 may be pressed or“popped” to cause an opening between first chamber 116 and secondchamber 118. Here, pop valve 124 may be said to be open.

With pop valve 124 open, air from first chamber 116 may rush into secondchamber 116 to work towards equalizing the pressure between firstchamber 116 and second chamber 118. Additionally, compressible material122 may expand outward to press against second chamber first sidewall130 and second chamber second sidewall 132. The mechanical action ofsecond chamber first sidewall 130 moving away from second chamber secondsidewall 132 may aid in drawing additional air from first chamber 116 sothat first chamber 116 may be at a lower pressure than second chamber118. Thus, first chamber 116 may be at a vacuum relative to secondchamber 118.

When the desired exchange of pressure between first chamber 116 andsecond chamber 118 may be reached, pop valve 124 may be pressed again toclose the opening between first chamber 116 and second chamber 118.

Pop valve 124 may have characteristics similar to a tennis ball cut inhalf. A tennis ball half typically has a flat edge that leads inward toa cavity. This flat edge may provide a seal when placed against anothersurface. When the tennis ball half may be pressed, the flat edge may bedeformed to break the seal between the tennis ball and the surface. Whenthe tennis ball half may be released from being pressed, the tennis ballmay return to it original shape to reestablish the seal between thetennis ball and the surface.

At this point, the contents of first chamber 116 may be under a desiredvacuum seal. The ability of compressible material 122 to further draw anadditional vacuum in first chamber 116 may be substantially exhausted. Asignificant advantage of this embodiment may be that compressiblematerial 122 may be recompressed so that bag 100 may be reused to vacuumseal again.

To recompress compressible material 122, zipper seal 114 may be open andthe contents of chamber 116 may be removed. A user may then place secondchamber 118 between a flat surface and the palm of one hand. Whilepressing on pop valve 124 with the thumb of one hand, a user may pushdown on second chamber 118 and compressible material 122 to compresssponge. Air within second chamber 118 may then pass through pop valve124 into first chamber 116 and out bag opening 112. While holding downcompressible material 122, valve 124 may be pressed again to close theopening between first chamber 116 and second chamber 118 to seal secondchamber 118. As the palm of the user may be removed from compressiblematerial 122, sealed second chamber 118 may maintain compressiblematerial 122 in a compressed state. Bag 100 now may be reused to vacuumseal other items.

FIG. 3 is a plan section view of a pop valve 700 in a bag 702. Pop valve700 may include an air flow path 704, a one way valve 706, a snap valve708, and a heat seal area 710. Snap valve 708 may be positioned withinheat seal area 710 and one way valve 706 may be positioned on top ofheat seal area 710 in line with air flow path 704.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of air flow path 704. Air flow path 704 mayinclude hard pieces 712 that may taper into supple ends 714. Supple ends714 may permit air 716 to flow in a direction of arrow 718, but preventair 716 to flow in a direction opposite to arrow 718. FIG. 5 is adetailed view of one way valve 706 in relation to air flow path 704.FIG. 6A is a side view of snap valve 708 illustrating a press point 720.FIG. 6B is a side view of snap valve 708 after press point 720 has beenpressed. When one way valve 702 may be pressed, sponge 122 may pull air716 through one way valve 706 and when one way valve 702 may bereleased, supple ends 714 of air flow path 704 may prevent air 716 fromtraveling from sponge 122 to first chamber 116. Importantly, one wayvalve 706 may provide a soothing, psychological effect to a user by itspush button activation.

As noted above, valve 120 may prevent an exchange of pressure and fluidsuch as air between first chamber 116 and second chamber 118 when valve120 may be closed. Moreover, valve 120 may allow an exchange of pressureand fluid such as air between first chamber 116 and second chamber 118when valve 120 may be open. In general, valve 120 may be device tocontrol the flow of a fluid between first chamber 116 and second chamber118.

Valve 120 may have additional embodiments to control the flow of fluidand thus pressure between first chamber 116 and second chamber 118. Forexample, FIG. 7 is a plan view of a bag 300. FIG. 8 is a side view ofbag 300 of FIG. 7. Features common between bag 100 of FIG. 1 and bag 300of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 may be identified with the same call out number.

In this embodiment, valve 120 may be formed by heat seals that define afirst gap 302, a second gap 304, and a channel 306 positioned betweenfirst gap 302 and second gap 304 longitudinally in FIG. 7. First upperheat seal 308 and second upper heat seal 310 may define first gap 302and first lower heat seal 312 and second lower heat seal 314 may definesecond gap 304. Each heat seal/gap combination may extend between firstside 108 and second side 110 to define channel 306.

The area of channel 306 between first gap 302 and second gap 304 may bethought of as a lift valve 316. Lift valve 316 may include a first flap318 having a first flap first end 320 and first flap second end 322 anda second flap 324 (FIG. 8) having a second flap first end 326 and asecond flap second end 328.

First flap first end 320 may be attached to first sidewall 102 at alocation within lift valve 316 and exterior to channel 306. First flapsecond end 322 may rest freely against an exterior of first sidewall 102and be adapted to be raised as shown in FIG. 8. Similarly, second flapfirst end 326 may be attached to second sidewall 104 at a locationwithin lift valve 316 and exterior to channel 306. Second flap secondend 328 may rest freely against an exterior of second sidewall 104 andbe adapted to be raised as shown in FIG. 8. First flap 318 and secondflap 324 may be made of a material similar to the material of bag 100.

In operation, first flap second end 322 and second flap second end 328each may be grasped between a thumb and index finger and pulled (lifted)away from each other. As first sidewall 102 and second sidewall 104 moveaway from one another within lift valve 316, air may be drawn from firstchamber 116 into second chamber 118 by the action of compressiblematerial 122. Lift valve 316 may be closed to seal second chamber 118from first chamber by pushing first flap 318 and second flap 324 towardseach other.

Similar to bag 100, bag 300 may be reused by recompressing compressiblematerial 122. To recompress compressible material 122, zipper seal 114may be open and the contents of chamber 116 may be removed. A user maythen place second chamber 118 between a flat surface and the palm of onehand. A user then may push down on second chamber 118 and compressiblematerial 122 to compress sponge. The now increased pressure withinsecond chamber 118 may overcome the lift valve 316 seal provided bychannel 306 to force air within second chamber 118 to pass through liftvalve 124 into first chamber 116 and out bag opening 112. As the palm ofthe user may be removed from compressible material 122, the pressurewithin second chamber 118 decreases, which may cause lift valve 316 toclose and sealed second chamber 118. Sealed second chamber 118 maymaintain compressible material 122 in a compressed state. Bag 300 nowmay be reused to vacuum seal other items.

With compressible material 122 encapsulated within second chamber 118,there may be a potential for bacteria growth or the introduction ofliquid fluids into second chamber 118. In one embodiment, compressiblematerial 122 may be impregnated with an antibacterial agent to minimizebacteria growth. For example, compressible material 122 may containalcohols, vinegars, chlorine, peroxides, aldehydes, and gaseous ethyleneoxide and formaldehyde to act rapidly to destroy bacteria and quicklydisappear without leaving an active residue behind. Compressiblematerial 122 may contain bisphenols such as triclosan andhexachlorophene, anilides such as triclocarban, quaternary ammoniumcompounds such as benzalkonium chloride, cetrimide, and cetylpyridiniumchloride where it may be desired to have a prolonged action ofdisinfecting. Prolonged action of disinfecting also may be achieved withbiguanides, halophenols, heavy metals (silver compounds, mercurycompounds), phenols, and cresols.

Compressible material 122 may be formulated or have additions to act asa moisture and water repellant to keep liquid fluids to the exterior ofcompressible material 122. These free moving liquids in second chamber118 may be discharged while recompression compressible material 122.

The above embodiments for bag 100 and bag 300 permit a user to draw avacuum in first chamber 116 by utilizing one compression and expansioncycle of compressible material 122. There may be circumstances where itmay be desirable to utilize multiple compression and expansion cycles ofcompressible material 122. For example, multiple compression andexpansion cycles of compressible material 122 may pull a larger vacuumwithin first chamber 116 than a single compression and expansion cycle.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of bag 500. Features common between bag 300 ofFIG. 7 and bag 500 of FIG. 9 may be identified with the same call outnumber. Included with bag 500 may be a valve 502. Valve 502 may belocated between lift valve 316 and bottom 106. As will be described,valve 502 may be used to draw a vacuum in first chamber 116 throughmultiple compression and expansion cycles of compressible material 122.

Valve 502 may include a first upper seal 504, a second upper seal 506,and a first gap 508 defined as an open space between first upper seal504 and second upper seal 506. Valve 502 additionally may include afirst lower seal 510, a second lower seal 512, and a second gap 514defined as an open space between first lower seal 510 and second lowerseal 512. Valve 502 may be viewed as a one-way valve and characterizedby a distance 514 between gap 508 and gap 514. Lift valve 316 may becharacterized by a distance 516 between first gap 302 and second gap304.

After compressible material 122 has expanded from a compressed state andlift valve 316 closed, a user may press down compressible material 122through second chamber 118. This may increase the pressure within secondchamber 118. The pressure within second chamber 118 may seek out a pathof least resistance. By keeping distance 514 than distance 516, a pathof least resistance for the pressure within second chamber 118 may bethrough valve 502. Other techniques to help ensure that valve 502 offerslower resistance to pressure than lift valve 316 may be to have a widthof upper gap 504 be smaller than a width of lower gap 304 or design theheight of valve 502 as a function of the height of lift valve 316.

As user may press down compressible material 122 through second chamber118, gas fluid and liquid fluid may exit from second chamber 118 throughsecond gap 514. In addition, compressible material 122 may becompressed. With lift valve 316 closed, one-way valve 502 may preventair from flowing back into second chamber 118 and thus keep compressiblematerial 122 from expanding. Compressible material 122 now may be readyto increase the vacuum within first chamber 116. By pulling first flap318 and second flap 328 away from each other, lift valve 316 may openand draw an additional vacuum in first chamber 116 by the suctioncreated in second chamber 118.

It may be desirable to make compressible material 122 removable from bag100 and bag 300. For example, a user may desire to clean compressiblematerial 122 or replace compressible material 122 with a newcompressible material 122. In addition, after a vacuum has been drawn infirst chamber 116, compressible material 122 has no immediateapplication for that particular bag. Removing compressible material 122from bag 100 while first chamber 116 may be under a vacuum may free upsecond chamber 118 for other uses, such as additional storage.

FIG. 10 may be a plan view of bag 600. Features common between bag 300of FIG. 7 and bag 600 of FIG. 10 may be identified with the same callout number. Included with bag 600 may be first zipper seal 602 below afirst bag opening 604 and a second zipper seal 606 above a second bagopening 608. In this embodiment, a user may perform multiple compressionand expansion cycles of compressible material 122 to draw a vacuum ineither first chamber 116 or second chamber 118.

After compressible material 122 has expanded from a compressed state andlift valve 316 closed, a user may open second zipper seal 606 to removegas fluid and liquid fluid second chamber 118 through second bag opening608. Compressible material 122 may be cleaned and placed back intosecond chamber 118. After compressing compressible material 122 with thepalm of a hand, for example, second zipper seal 606 may be closed. Withlift valve 316 closed, second zipper seal 606 may prevent air fromflowing back into second chamber 118 and thus keep compressible material122 from expanding. Compressible material 122 now may be ready toincrease the vacuum within first chamber 116. By pulling first flap 318and second flap 328 away from each other, lift valve 316 may open anddraw an additional vacuum in first chamber 116 by the suction created insecond chamber 118.

Over time through use, first chamber 116 may develop small leaks and notbe as efficient as holding a vacuum. For example, certain foods havesharp edges and may aid in working one or more tiny holes within firstchamber 116. Under such circumstances, first chamber 116 may not be ableto hold a vacuum, but may be utilized to draw a vacuum. By placingcompressible material 122 in first chamber 116 of bag 600 (FIG. 10) andstorage material in second chamber 118, a vacuum may be draw withinsecond chamber 118 as described above.

Another advantage of bag 600 may be that the containers and compressiblematerial 122 may be sold separately. One compressible material 122 mayservice multiple bags 600. Thus, the cost of bags 600 withoutcompressible material 122 may be the same as sandwich bags currently onthe market. Moreover, with compressible material 122 being separate frombag 600, bags 600 may be marketed as having the same storage capacity assimilarly sized sandwich bags currently on the market and have theadditional feature of a vacuum seal.

Another advantage of bag 600 may be that a consumer may utilize theirown sponge for compressible material 122. While such a sponge may not beas efficient as a sponge particularly designed for bag 600, such asponge may meet the consumer's vacuum sealing needs and move away fromthe conventional vacuum sealing industry notion that a consumer mustpurchase expensive items made of plastic “specially formulated” fortheir particular machine.

Bag 100 and other bag embodiments (collectively “bag 100”) need not be ahousehold food bag. Rather, bag as used in this patent may include anycontainer where it may be desirable to inexpensively form a vacuum. Forexample, entomologist in the field collecting bugs may want to place thebugs in a rigid metal container and draw a vacuum to preserve the bugsfor the long flight home to the museum. Tennis players may want torestore their tennis balls in a vacuum. Coffee lovers may want to keeptheir beans fresher by restoring them in a glass vacuum container. Eachof these individuals may benefit from the present invention.

In general, first chamber 116 may be any container that functions tohold contents that eventually may be removed from the container. Firstchamber 116 may be a container configured to hold a particular articleor set of articles or material. Moreover, first chamber 116 may be meansin or by which goods (article or material) may be displayed, protected,packaged or arranged in a particular manner, to facilitate sale,transportation in commerce, use or storage. In addition to being amercantile unit, s first chamber 116 may be a packet, compact, or casecarried on the person of a user.

Second chamber 118 may be any container that may be deformable in such away as to alter its volume. Additionally, second chamber 118 may bepleated to permit the footprint of second chamber 118 to shrink whilemaintaining the overall desired volume for second chamber 118.

Collectively, bag 100 may be though of as a package for articles ormaterial surrounded by air that may be used with compressible material122 cooperatively to make a vacuum sealed assemblage. The seals of bag100 need not be heat seals. Rather, the seals may be any barrier whetheror not formed by heat.

Bag 100 of the invention may be an inexpensive, quick and easy to use,portable way of vacuum sealing items. Bag 100 may be reusable in thatcompressible material 122 may be recompressed and set up to draw avacuum. Because a vacuum may be drawn by a sponge compressible material122 whose properties may be controlled by design, bag 100 mayconsistently draws a vacuum over the life of the bag sufficient to meetthe food storage needs of a consumer.

The bag may be included in an improved line of food storage bags thatmay feature a one-way air valve incorporated into its design. The bagmay help to keep food fresh and appetizing for a longer time period. Inparticular, the bag may be part of a newly designed line of food storagebags that may feature a clever way to remove excess air.

The bag may be similar in shape and design to an existing food storagebag and may feature a zipper-type seal. The bag may include a secondchamber at the base that may house a pre-compressed sponge. This chambermay feature one-way air valves incorporated into its design. Thecompressed sponge may pull air into the second chamber, thus creating avacuum in the chamber with food. For use, an individual may place foodinto the bag and seal the zipper-type closure. A button valve may bepressed to create an opening between the first and second chambers. Thecompressed sponge may then expand to pull air from the first chamber.The two chambers may then be sealed using the one-way valve.

With the bag, food products may be kept fresh in the refrigerator orfreezer for a longer period of time. The bag may be rectangular and maymeasure eight inches high, seven inches long, and one inch wide.

The bag may fulfill the need for a way to remove unwanted air insidefood storage bags. Appealing features of the bag may include itsconvenience, practicality, effectiveness, durability, ease of use,cost-savings, light weight, compact size, portability, and timesaving,and inviting design. Such a line of food storage bags may allowperishables to be stored more conveniently and safely in a refrigerator,freezer, and cooler. They may allow food to stay fresh for a longerperiod of time. The handy one-way valve and pre-compressed sponge mayeffectively evacuate air in the bag, which may prevent freezer burn orlosing food freshness. In addition, foods may last longer in therefrigerator, freezer, or cooler while continuing to maintainpurchase-date freshness.

In the refrigerator, everything from fruit to leftovers may be storedlonger and free from staleness, mold, and refrigerator odors. Thebuilt-in valve may evacuate the air from the bag, thus increasing thestorage space in the bag. The bag may prevent food spoilage and mayallow a consumer to purchase larger quantities of food products to keepthem fresh in an airtight storage container. This line of bags mayprevent food wastage, which may save a consumer a considerable amount ofmoney and may provide the user with better tasting food. In addition,this line of freezer bags may prevent a person from becoming ill due tofood spoilage.

The bag may serve as a viable alternative to traditional methods ofremoving air from food storage bags, such as bulky pumps and heatsealers. The bag may be easy to use, effective, convenient, cost saving,timesaving, and reasonably priced. The bag may also be lightweight andcompact to be easily stored when needed. As well as consumers, thisproduct may be used in commercial establishments, such as restaurants,cafeterias, hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.

The information disclosed herein is provided merely to illustrateprinciples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of thesubject matter of the terms of the claims. The written specification andfigures are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather thana restrictive sense. Moreover, the principles disclosed may be appliedto achieve the advantages described herein and to achieve otheradvantages or to satisfy other objectives, as well.

1. A system to remove air from a bag, the bag comprising: a firstsidewall; a second sidewall attached to the first sidewall at a firstside, a second side, and a bottom, where the first sidewall and thesecond sidewall meet to form an opening and to form an interior; a valvepositioned in the interior of the first sidewall and the second sidewallto form in the interior a first compartment having air and a secondcompartment, where the valve is configured to control an exchange of airbetween the first chamber and the second chamber; and a foam spongepositioned in the second compartment, where the foam sponge isconfigured to draw air from the first chamber into the second chamberwhen the valve is open and the foam expands.
 2. The bag of claim 1,where the foam sponge is configured to hold the air in the secondchamber and the valve is configured to prevent the air from returning tothe first chamber.
 3. The bag of claim 1, where the bag is advertised asat least one of a storage bag, a freezer bag, a sandwich bag, and asnack bag.
 4. The bag of claim 1, where the foam sponge is in acompressed state.
 5. The bag of claim 1, where a pressure within thesecond chamber is less than pressure outside of and adjacent to thesecond chamber.
 4. The bag of claim 1, where the second chamber forms asecond chamber first sidewall and a second chamber second sidewall andwhere the foam sponge is configured to expand outward to press againstthe second chamber second sidewall and second chamber second sidewall.5. The bag of claim 1, where the valve is a pop valve.
 6. The bag ofclaim 5, where the pop valve includes an air flow path, a one way valve,a snap valve, and a heat seal area.
 7. The bag of claim 6, where thesnap valve is positioned within the heat seal area and the one way valveis positioned on top of the heat seal area in line with the air flowpath.
 8. The bag of claim 7, where the air flow path includes hardpieces that taper into supple ends, where the supple ends are configuredto permit air to flow in a first direction but prevent air flow in adirection opposite to the first direction.
 9. The bag of claim 1, wherethe valve is a lift valve, where the lift valve is configured to liftthe first sidewall and second sidewall away from one another to aid indrawing air from the first chamber into the second chamber.
 10. The bagof claim 9, where the lift valve includes a first gap, a second gap, anda channel positioned between the first gap and the second gap, where thelift valve further includes a first flap having a first flap first endand first flap second end and includes a second flap having a secondflap first end and a second flap second end.
 11. The bag of claim 10,where the first flap first end is attached to the first sidewall at alocation within the lift valve and exterior to the channel, where thesecond flap first end is attached to the second sidewall at a locationwithin the lift valve and exterior to the channel.
 12. The bag of claim1, where the foam sponge is impregnated with an antibacterial agent tominimize bacteria growth.
 13. The bag of claim 1, where the valve is afirst valve, the bag further comprising: a second valve between thefirst valve and the bottom, where the second valve is configured tocontrol an exchange of air between the second chamber and an exterior tothe second chamber.
 14. The bag of claim 1, further comprising: a firstzipper seal between the valve and the top and a second zipper sealbetween the valve and the bottom.